Joey the Rat
by Onion Sword
Summary: Joey didn't choose the grunt life. The grunt life chose him.
1. Chapter 1

"Joey, we just don't have the money for pokéballs. I'm sorry, kiddo, I really am." Joey's uncle did his best, but it's hard enough for a Magikarp fisherman to put food on the table. Magikarp have very little edible meat, fetching only ¥2 in the market for a good sized fish.

Joey was disappointed. He had grown up watching and idolizing Lance the Dragon Trainer as he dominated the Pokémon League on television. He had always dreamt of becoming a trainer himself. Joey's uncle worked hard and cared deeply for his nephew, and all Joey wanted was some way to give back. He knew there was good money in the pokémon battling circuit.

Most youngsters would resign themselves to more childlike hobbies like sports or girls or spitting on bugs, but not Joey. Joey was driven. Every day before sunset when his uncle would pack up the bait and tackle, Joey would borrow his rod to give it a few more casts. "Knock yourself out, kiddo. Just aren't enough hours in the day for me." It was a hot summer and the Magikarp weren't biting as much as usual.

Some nights were fruitless, but usually Joey would stay out until he caught a 'karp or two. Then he'd run home with his prize and excitedly present it to his uncle, who would appraise the catch and pay him full market price for each one. In this way he planned to earn the money to buy his first pokéball.


	2. Chapter 2

It was late one particular night and Joey was thinking about packing up. The last time he'd stayed out past midnight waiting on a bite, his uncle scolded him about pushing himself too hard. He stood up to reel in the line when he felt a tug, a strong one. It nearly pulled him off center, but he caught himself and planted his feet. The battle began.

Joey liked the feel of a bite on his line. There's excitement in the struggle between man and fish; reel, relax, reel, relax, and Joey loved the feel of pulling fish out of water. It was as good as money in his pocket.

With a final yank, the Magikarp was airborne, and Joey looked upon it with disappointment. It was a pipsqueak, the kind his uncle would have thrown back in the hopes that something bigger would come along and eat it. As he deliberated, a nearby rustling caught his attention.

He turned to see a scrawny Meowth watching him carefully from the bushes, hungrily eyeing his catch. With a sigh he tossed his prize toward the bush. Meowth pounced without hesitation. Magikarp's hard scales are not easy to bite through, and this particular 'karp flopped hard enough that Meowth had to drop it and reevaluate his approach. He playfully batted at it, trying to solve it like a puzzle.

"Th-that's ¥2, you know!" Joey lied. Meowth cocked his head and gave Joey a quizzical look. He then turned and boundedback into the underbrush, leaving his fish behind. Joey waited. Magikarp splashed its way toward the water, but Joey kicked it away from shore.

Meowth soon returned and dropped two shiny coins at Joey's feet. He bent down and scooped them up in disbelief. "Are these… you understood?" Meowth bit down into the fish's tiny tail. With one last backward glance, his prey weakly flailing in his mouth, he disappeared into the bushes.


	3. Chapter 3

"Empty handed. No luck tonight, huh?" Joey's uncle was cleaning and futting his own catch of the day, preparing filets for market.

"Actually, I did catch one. A small fry, but I sold it already. To a Meowth!"

"A Meowth? What would a cat know about the value of a dollar?"

"Well, I kinda ripped it off. But, I mean, it was pretty amazing."

"Hm," Joey's uncle mused. "You shouldn't feed those rascals. They're nothing but a nuisance around here, picking pockets and knocking over bins. I hear they form organized gangs."

Over the next month Joey worked diligently and saved up his money. Once or twice a week Meowth turned up his money. Once or twice a week, Meowth would turn up to lounge in the setting sun and watch Joey fish. He shared in the excitement when Joey landed a catch, and he was happy to pay generously for it with his seemingly endless streams of cash. By the end of the month, Joey had scrounged up ¥200, exactly enough for one pokéball. He barely slept that night.

The next morning he was up well before PokéMart opened. There was a gleam in the vendor's eye as he handed over the pokéball. "Good luck, Joey."

"Thanks!" With no experience and without caution, Joey bounded off into the tall grass where wild pokémon are known to roam. It wasn't long before he found what he'd hoped for most; a small, feral Rattata.


	4. Chapter 4

Joey had always wanted a Rattata. With their great agility and surprisingly high jaw strength, Rattata made the perfect starter pokémon. Without a second though Joey tossed his prized pokball. It was a direct hit!

Rattata broke free with a single shake.

Before horror could register on Joey's face, Rattata pounced, forcing him to turn tail and run. "Nooo!" he managed to cry. Try as ge might, there was no way he could outrun the vicious rat.

As usual, Joey was wearing shorts. Rattata sank his fangs deep into his ankle then dashed out of sight. Blood poured from the wound, soaking his sock a deep red. Rattata darted through Joey's legs again, tripping him up, gnashing his teeth left and right, tearing out small chunks of flesh.

Joey's heart pounded. He was losing too much blood. His head rushed and his vision faded. Suddenly he realized with grim clarity that he couldn't outrun this thing. A wave of hopelessness rushed over him, smothering him like a dark blanket. All was lost.

Then he heard a low, forceful meow from up above, like a calm threat. On a tree branch Joey saw the friendly face of a Meowth who looked much plumper than when they'd first met. With an adrenal surge of strength Joey pushed himself up the tree.

Rattata tried to pursue, but Meowth hissed menacingly. Rattata bristled and spat, but quickly turned and ran away. Meowth resumed leisurely grooming himself. He didn't mind Joey's beleaguered breathing as they rested together in the tree. Joey wished he still had a cell phone so he could call his friend in Johto and tell him about what happened. He decided it could wait, he'd tell him later.


	5. Chapter 5

When the coast was clear, Joey limped back home, Meowth following at his own pace with a detached curiosity. It wasn't hard to convince his uncle there was benefit in keeping a cat around the house. When it came to fish, Meowth liked the guts as much as the meat, and both were plentiful at Joey's uncle's. He spent his days sleeping and watching them fish, and at night he prowled the streets looking for treasures to bring home. He found berries, potions, loose change, even the occasion pokéball.

It was around the time when Joey's wounds had finished healing that his uncle came running home red faced in a huff. It was something big. "Joseph! Joey. I landed the big one."

"No…" His uncle stooped to catch his breath and, head between his legs, he held aloft a pokéball presumably containing Old King Karr, the largest Magikarp Cerulean's waters had to offer. It was a local legend, and Joey had always doubted its existence.

"I reeled it…" "All by my…" "Can you believe?" "I…" he huffed and puffed. "I caught the Karr!" He was grinning from ear to ear. "As soon as I pulled it up, a man offered me '20, no wait ¥50 for it!' The man next to him said, 'No, I'll give ¥500 for it!' Can you believe that? ¥500 for a Magikarp! I just couldn't sell it, so I brought it home."

Suddenly his face grew serious. "Joey, I know you were disappointed about your pokéball, and I know it's not a Rattata, but I've decided what I want to do with Old King Karr. Some things are more important than money." He handed the ball to Joey.

In the ensuing silence a grin crept across his uncle's face again. Joey didn't know what to say; his feelings were mixed. His very first pokémon. On the one hand, nobody ever caught Magikarp to train. The 'karp man's kid, starting off with a Magikarp. The local kids would certainly give him hell. On the other hand, his uncle prized this catch above any other, a legendary fish, yet here he was, just giving it away.

"Well I couldn't let them kill it. That size! Imagine what a Gyarados he'll make!"

"It's… wonderful. Thank you so much!"

Joey the Magikarp Trainer. He was a real trainer. The thought of it lit a spark within him. He set out to test his new starter. True to his uncle's word, it was a ¥500 'karp, probably heavier than Joey himself. Through sheer weight alone, King Karr pinned down a Rattata long enough for Joey to catch it. His journey had finally begun.


	6. Chapter 6

The next month was a blur of training. He spent all day and most of every night pitting Rattata first against Meowth's considerable agility, then against wild Rattata and the occasional Sandshrew. Once they even encountered an Ekans, but Rattata made short work of it. He always prevailed, using quick feet and wicked bites to secure victories. Old King Karr meanwhile spent most of his time happily splashing around in the pool behind their house. Except for his admittedly formidable full body tackles, Karr was essentially useless in fights, although occasionally visitors would stop by just to lay eyes on the monstrous marvel.

Eventually the opportunity presented itself for Joey to cash in on all his efforts. There was to be a tournament on Nugget Bridge. ¥500 entry fee, with a ¥5000 prize. It was just the start that Joey needed. Rattata was honed and ready. King Karr was… still huge. Although he didn't have ¥500 on hand, he explained the contest to Meowth, who leant him the money out of pocket. Joey invited him to join in the battles, but Meowth declined in favor of curling up in the shade among the leaves under the porch. He watched the boy march off through one open eye.

Joey's first battle was against a girl who used a Pidgey and a female Nidoran. Rattata opened with a debilitating bite, but the blue rodent was covered in poisonous barbs, one of which pierced the rat. Nidoran flinched, and Rattata finished it with a quick attack. Pidgey dropped after a single bite.

Though Joey won his first match up, he had nothing to staunch the poison. Paradoxically, though the toxin weakened Rattata, his experience against Nidoran made him stronger. He crossed a threshold and evolved with a bright flash of light. His fine purple hair grew out in thick brown tufts. His powerful legs elongated, his back grew hunched, and his sharp fangs grew hyper powerful.

"RRRATICATE!"


	7. Chapter 7

Joey's next three matches were a breeze. There were Ekans, Rattata, a Zubat. One kid even entered completely straight faced with nothing but a Caterpie and a Weedle. He also, through some organizational fluke, wound up battling that same girl's Pidgey and Nidoran. It didn't matter. Raticate dispatched each enemy with his swift, unyielding fangs. While he weathered each battle without a scratch, Joey noticed Raticate falter toward the end. The poison was sinking in, but there was only one battle left.

The last competitor had also used only one pokémon to make it to the finals; a powerful Mankey. As usual, Raticate opened with a jaw wrenching fang attack, but Mankey didn't so much as flinch. His eyes were closed and he was glowing with a focused energy. Joey panicked, realizing that Mankey was the faster of the two.

"Quickly! Attack!" The sliding tackle was not enough to finish the job. Mankey reeled, but then unleashed a mighty karate chop that sent Raticate skidding through the dirt. Raticate stood, regarding Mankey with a lethal ferocity, but at that moment the poison took effect. The rat swayed, then dropped.


	8. Chapter 8

Joey blinked. He had worked so hard, only to lose because he was too much of a rookie to bring an antidote. "Kid. Hey, Kid! I asked, do you have any other pokémon?"

"Oh, I- yes." He had forgotten about Old King Karr. When he released the fish there was an awed murmur among the onlookers. Karr had incredibly grown larger from his month of regular feeding in Joey's pond.

Mankey grunted. He was hanging on by only a thread, so he had no time to spare. He leapt into action, dropping a might chop in a critical spot between King Karr's eyes. The crack was deafening. Karr tilted over onto Mankey, crushing him.

"Is your, uh, fish guy still alive?"

Joey wasn't sure. "Um, Karr, can you still splash?"

"KARR," boomed Karr. He flopped up and down, grinding Mankey's body into the ground.

"Well that settles it. Magikarp wins." The officiator was a tall, dark man with a black beret and a waxy moustache. He pulled a shiny nugget of gold from his pocket, smooth and perfectly round. He held it out to Joey.

"But wait." He yanked his hand back. "I wonder, have you ever heard of Team Rocket?" He pocketed the nugget again. "This contest will end after you battle me."


	9. Chapter 9

Joey was furious. He had no time for games. Ratticate was down. Meowth was probably licking himself. Joey had nothing but a giant Magikarp in his arsenal. "Fine. Let's fight." Karr felt a sympathetic link to his trainer, and his eyes mirrored the rising anger that Joey felt. As soon as the officiator released his pokémon, a Drowzee, Karr harnessed the pain from his previous battle, channeling it into power, and with a mighty flail he launched himself forty feet into the air, hurdling toward the terrified Drowzee.

"Call off your 'karp! You win!" Joey threw out his ball before King Karr could make impact. Drowzee collapsed from relieved anxiety.

"Listen, youngster. You see this gold? ¥5,000 in nugget form." He tossed it to Joey. "But to a grunt in Team Rocket, this pay is nothing. I think you have real potential."

Joey looked at the prize in his hand, more money than a fisherman earned in a month. He clenched his fist and pocketed the gold. "Tell me more."


End file.
